Topics August – October 2003 4 August—Major US rail freight carrier 10 August—Echizen Railway’s 23 August—JR Kyushu announced Union Pacific announced sell off of small Mikuniawara Line (25.2 km) completed with opening of Shin Yatsushiro–Kagoshima freight subsidiary Overnite to concentrate opening of Nishi Nagata–Mikuni-minato Chuo section of Kyushu Shinkansen from on main business section (13.5 km) 13 March 2004 with consequent major timetable revision throughout Kyushu (see 6 August—Fire in railway tunnel under 16 August—Passenger boat capsized on Photostory on p. 71) construction in central Spain trapped 34 tributary of Amazon River in northern Brazil, workers for 5 hours before rescued drowning 10 and leaving approximately 20 24 August—Small passenger plane on missing domestic flight exploded and crashed in 7 August—Two mountain railway trains Haiti, killing all 21 passengers and crew collided head-on in Interlaken, Switzerland, 17 August—Some 10,000 m2 of injuring 64 embankment collapsed on Oigawa Railway 26 August—Japanese Ministry of Foreign in Kanaya Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, Affairs announced visa exemption for 7 August—Okinawa-based newcomer leaving no date for return to service of Chinese tourists and businessmen visiting Lequios Airlines filed with Naha District popular steam operations Japan for 14 days or less Court for protection under Civil Rehabilitation Law before starting 20 August—Railway Technical Research 28 August—Bridge over Daman Ganga operations Institute (RTRI) announced first successful River in western India collapsed, killing 23 test of battery-powered tram without 8 August—Pusan-bound express train overhead wire (see Photostory on p. 2) 3 September—Committee for Study of collided with freight train in south Korea, Future of City Transportation submitted killing two passengers and injuring more 20 August—JR West announced start of interim report to mayor of Yokohama than 90 ICOCA IC card ticket services at major recommending full privatization and Kansai stations from 1 November conversion into joint stock company of 10 August—Yui-rail monorail (12.9 km, heavily indebted (¥487 billion at end Naha Airport–Shuri) opened in Okinawa as FY2002) Yokohama subway lines 1 and 3 first rail system since WWII (40 km) and line 4 (Hiyoshi–Nakayama) under construction 3 September—Approximately 2-km pipe completed by JR East and Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) between Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park and underground springs in nearby Tohoku Shinkansen tunnel to carry about 270 m3 of spring water to clean pond and save JR East about ¥30 million in annual water disposal costs 5 September—First car of Big Thunder Mountain roller-coaster at Disneyland Anaheim, California, derailed, killing one passenger and injuring 10 others 15 September—Cruising sailboat capsized on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, drowning three children and four adults on board 16 September—Small TB21 single-engine plane crashed at Tsushima Airport in Nagasaki Prefecture, killing all three on board Yui-rail monorail departing from Naha-kuko (Naha Airport) Station (Okinawa Urban Monorail) 68 Japan Railway & Transport Review 38 • March 2004 Copyright © 2004 EJRCF. All rights reserved. 18 September—Ministry of Land, 30 September—Air France and KLM Royal 18 October—Six-car express train overran Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) Dutch Airlines announced merger stop position in Shin Gifu Terminal of approved application by Sendai City for agreement to create Europe’s largest airline Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) to crash into category-1 railway licence to operate buffer and derail, injuring four passengers planned (2015 opening) 13.9-km linear- 1 October—Shinagawa Station opened on motor subway Tozai Line between Dobutsu- Tokaido Shinkansen, creating new western 19 October—Subway train passing koen and Arai gateway to Tokyo with major JR Central through London Underground’s Camden timetable revision and switch to Nozomi Town Station derailed into platform wall, 19 September—MLIT, TMG and Teito shinkansen services running at 270 km/h injuring seven people Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA) announced (see JRTR 37, p. 2) plan to mark all subway stations with letters 19 October—Cableway gondola plunged and numbers from April 2004 for easy 1 October—Domestic airfreight carrier 100 m to ground in Darjeeling in north-east identification by foreign visitors Orange Cargo started flights between India, killing four and injuring 11 on board Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) and 20 September—Sightseeing helicopter Nagasaki and Kagoshima airports 26 October—Ground-breaking ceremony crashed into western side of Grand Canyon held at JR West’s Nagahama Station on in USA, killing all seven passengers and 2 October—Railway transport statistics for Hokuriku main line to start construction of crew FY2002 released by MLIT with estimated Lake Biwa Loop Line linking section total passenger traffic at 21.44 billion between Nagahama and Tsuruga on 20 September—Train slammed into bus on people and 382.245 billion passenger-km Hokuriku main line (38.2 km) and Nagahara crossing 150 km south of Pakistan capital (year-on-year decline of 1.3% and 0.8%, and Omi Shiotsu on Kosei Line (5.8 km) of Islamabad, killing at least 40 people on respectively); freight traffic estimated at bus 56.592 million tonnes and 22.131 billion 24 October—Concorde supersonic tonne-km (year-on-year decline of 3.5% airplane retired by British Airways after 23 September—Swiss airline SWISS and 0.3%, respectively) making final flight between New York and announced business alliance with British London Airways (BA), joining One World Federation 9 October— Viet Nam and US of eight airlines, including BA, American governments signed agreement to open air 29 October—Meitetsu and Itochu Airlines, and Cathay Pacific Airways passenger and freight routes between two Corporation announced HSST System countries Sales joint company to market new HSST 25 September—French Ministry of Health (High Speed Surface Transport) maglev announced severe summer heat between 10 October—Ferry struck bridge and sank linear-motor car urban transportation 1 and 20 August killed some 14,800 people in River Benue 700 km east of Nigerian system overseas capital of Abuja, killing more than 100 25 September—Ceremony held in Darwin passengers 31 October—Japan Air System and All to mark completion of 1420-km Trans- Nippon Airways announced start of air continental Australian Railway between 10 October—Europe’s largest raised shuttle services between Haneda and Alice Springs and Darwin 145 years after waterway crossing completed in Kimpo Airport in Korea from 30 November first planned Magdeburg, eastern Germany, allowing 2003 ships to cross River Elbe on 918-m long 28 September—Worker error and other and 34-m wide canal bridge MILESTONES construction problems caused points failure on JR East’s Chuo Line near Mitaka, 12 October—Seven-car train derailed Mr Nobuteru Ishihara causing cancellation of 234 trains and outside Chicago, injuring 100 passengers Appointed Minister of Land, Infrastructure affecting about 180,000 people and Transport in reshuffled Koizumi Cabinet 15 October—Staten Island Ferry struck on 24 September. After graduating in 28 September—Two trains belonging to Manhattan Terminal pier, killing 10 literature from Keio University in 1981, Deutsche Bahn AG collided head-on on passengers worked as TV journalist before elected to single track near Weimar in central House of Representatives in 1992. Held Germany, killing one passenger and 15 October—Wire derailed on cableway at positions as Parliamentary Vice Minister for injuring 29 others Mitake Ropeway Ski Resort on eastern International Trade and Industry and slope of Mt Ontake (3067 m) in Nagano Minister of State for Administrative Reform 28 September—Tour boat with 349 Prefecture throwing couple out of gondola and Regulatory Reform passengers ran aground near Lorelei and killing them Rocks in River Rhine in Germany, injuring 40 passengers Copyright © 2004 EJRCF. All rights reserved. Japan Railway & Transport Review 38 • March 2004 69.